Erin Andrews is a controversial topic.  Some people hate her.  She’s always in the news: is she sleeping with Tim Tebow? Is she an anti-feminist who has sold out to the Opressive Male Patriarchy?  Recently, it’s been the sad story of the jerk who took a nude video of her through the keyhole of her hotel room.

At this point, she’s so freaked out, she’s calling 911 on the paps that congregate outside her hotels. What gets lost in all of this is that Erin Andrews has chops.

There, we said it.

Yes, she’s gorgeous.  Gorgeous enough to pose in GQ (though the photos, set to run next month, may get pulled in light of recent events).  And Oprah, Barbara Walters, et al are dying to interview her about her ordeal.  And, OK, we don’t really think she make Tebow blush with an insightful question about his playcalling.

(You have no idea how hard we had to try to make that sentence not sound dirty.  We tried “probing question.” We tried “O-line.”  We tried “behavior in the huddle.”  NOTHING WORKED.)

Ultimately, though Erin Andrews is perhaps the most visible female face in mainstream male sports.  When it’s freezing on the sidelines, she’s out there.  When the wind is messing up her fabulous blond locks, she’s out there.  (Although she wasn’t always a blond.) When UPH’s five year old niece wonders if there are any girls except us who like sports, we can point to the screen. People see her, and people pay attention.

Someday, there’ll be just as many female color commentators and halftime show denizens and broadcast booth voices as there are hot female sideline reporters.  We’re not deluded enough to think that Erin Andrews’ existence means mainstream male sports are accessible to women.  But we’re proud to call her a UPH Squadder, because when she’s out there, no matter how much testosterone is in the air, there’s a female perspective too.

Oh, and she got the last laugh: if you try to download the nudie vid, it’s probably a virus.